


Nothing Sweet as Blood

by Fernis



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alien Zer0 (Borderlands), Borderlands: Borderlands 2, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, He/Him Pronouns for Zer0 (Borderlands), Will add more tags and characters as time goes on, Zer0 Centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:14:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25607176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fernis/pseuds/Fernis
Summary: Zer0 has come to the planet of Pandora seeking a challenge. He has yet to truly find it, but his time on the planet certainly has yielded some pleasing moments. Perhaps nothing on Pandora will give him difficulty, but at least there's thrills to be had.--A series of short ficlets based on cool gameplay I've had with Zer0. Generally snapshots of kills I found nice, or bits I was particularly proud of. Writing style may be inconsistent because I haven't written in so long.
Kudos: 8





	1. A Frigid Wasteland Full of Prey

Zer0 had hated the fact that he’d allowed himself to fall right into Hyperion’s trap- He was likely the most dangerous thing on this planet, and yet he had been deceived. Unacceptable. 

He’d hated it more once he realized that the crash had cost him the use of Decepti0n; the gear having been damaged in the crash. He’d have to wait until he could gather the tools to repair it or find someone to do it for him.

The sting of hatred was dulled, however, when the man named Hammerlock claimed that he would be able to fix it if he was given some time. The assassin had handed over the tech with a warning: **“If you betray me.. / Your demise will not be swift. / You have been warned.”**

The man had laughed it off, assuring Zer0 that he had no intent on stealing a Vault Hunter’s gear- Especially one who seemed so dangerous as the assassin. Smart man. Hammerlock then proceeded to give Zer0 orders, as though he was some sort of lackey. The hunter had begun to draw his sword in irritation when the man clicked his tongue, raising a hand as though to calm the irate assassin, **“Ah, good fellow, no need for that. You said you were seeking a challenge, yes? There’s a station of bandits just outside Liar’s Berg and I can’t imagine how interesting it may be to take them out while handicapped.”**

Zer0 had stopped, barely, tilting his head as though in thought. The gentleman in front of him seemed to grow somewhat nervous as time went on, the hunter simply standing there and thinking. It was true that Zer0 had not fought without Decepti0n for quite a long time, and it may be nice to test out the sniper rifle he had found in the wreckage of the train.

A bold **:)** projected onto the assassin’s helmet as he turned away, slinging his rifle off his back and heading to the outskirts of town.

-

Thanks to a Quick Change Station Zer0 had found in Liar’s Berg, his suit was a pleasant white and light blue, blending in perfectly to his surroundings. He had a delightful vantage point from where he sat, crouching on a ledge above the bandit outpost. Oh, he could almost taste his victory.

The rifle wasn’t the best quality, or the best condition- Just a simple Jakobs sniper that annoyingly stood out against the stark white of the snow. Luckily, no one ever thought to look up. It would be their downfall.

Perhaps he wasn’t going about this the right way; Hammerlock had claimed that taking bandits out without his Decepti0n would be challenging, but way up here.. The program wouldn’t be needed anyway. Yet the thought of waltzing into camp without knowing the guns he carried was an unpleasant one. He would be begging for failure if they didn’t operate correctly. Zer0 did not beg, and did not fail.

So there he stayed, lining up a shot slowly, savoring the moment. **“Calm before the storm. / It’s so easily broken. / Just like they will be.”**  
The **Ø** on his helmet was as red as the bandit’s blood when Zer0’s bullet hit him directly between the eyes.

It was replaced by a smile as the assassin watched the camp descend into chaos- Men scrambling for cover and yelling frantic orders to one another. They were so sloppy, it was a disgrace. One should always be careful to not think themselves at the top of the food chain.. Somewhere, there was always a bigger predator, always something hungrier.

And Zer0 was starving for it.

He waited patiently until they could pinpoint his location before firing again, his bullet piercing the skull of a psycho who made the attempt at climbing to him. Bullets pelted the area around him, but the aim of the men below him was pathetic. This was hardly a challenge.  
With that thought, the assassin’s mood soured. He was done playing, done trying to give these men a chance when they were so obviously below him.

He aimed, then fired. Over and over until there was only one left, a bandit who’d had enough sense to get behind a decent piece of sheet metal and hide his head. He’d not been able to escape a bullet to the leg- A grave and disappointing mistake made by the man who’d hidden his vitals but left just a peek of shin through the gap in his protection. Pitiful.

Zer0 rose, scaling down the wall with ease and homing in on the injured man like a hungry skag. He found the man collapsed next to a wall, pistol dropped to the ground.  
The assassin stood above him, staring down at the pathetic excuse for a man as though he was waiting for something. In a way, he was. He wanted to know what humans did when cornered- Each one reacted so differently, so interestingly..

This one did not. This one cried and begged for his life as though it had any value. The hunter tried to wait for him to stop talking, wondering if he’d act or give up, but eventually even the patient assassin reached his limit.  


**“Quit your babbling. / You are not worth a bullet. / Accept your demise.”**  
Zer0 drew his sword, **Ø** blazing crimson as he swung. The man stopped begging, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the time where I discovered I like Zer0, and sniping. I had only played Lilith and Gaige before, and played Zer0 mostly out of spite because my friends claimed I'd hate it. They were oh-so wrong.


	2. Machinations of the Kill

Moving through the Bloodshot compound had been tedious at best; the sheer amount of enemies tried even Zer0’s patience. Psychos were easy now that Decepti0n was back in working order- It was so satisfying to watch a herd of the dumb creatures crowd around his hologram. Then, when one inevitably held out a grenade, looking oh-so happy with itself.. They were all blown to bloody little shreds, with the assassin being safely out of the way and already working on picking off their friends.

Nomads were annoying, though. Their lumbering frames made their head wobble to and fro, half covered by the collar around their neck. But they weren’t much of a problem unless they had a shield. Zer0 would never admit it, but when one of them showed up he depended mostly on the caustic pistol at his side, or the incendiary assault rifle at his back. They weren’t his cleanest kills, but it got the job done. He always got the job done.

-

The top of the dam was fun. The mix of loaders and men was a worthy medley that kept him on his toes. He’d made sure to keep pace with the bot that held Roland captive, but otherwise the assassin felt free to kill as leisurely as he pleased. He savored every kill, feeling pride and satisfaction whenever a bullet neatly found its way into a loader’s lens. He liked when they exploded the most.

Sometimes he’d switch back to his pistol if there were simply too many to take out with his sniper. Zer0 may be confident in his abilities, but at this point he was showing off to no one but himself, and it was important to not let your ego get in the way of your chances of success. Hearing the machines frantically shouting, **“No, no no no, no, no,”** as they melted away was amusing in its own right anyway.

Eventually, the assassin came to an area of the dam where it seemed a slaughter was taking place. Loaders had overrun a group of houses and were eliminating anyone inside. He would have been happy to let them continue, but picking the loaders off as they exited the buildings was entertaining.. Even if it left him a little low on sniper ammo. He’d surely find more, it wasn’t a concern.

At some point he must have taken out all of the androids, because only bandits began to flood from the doorways. Taking quick stock of his ammo, Zer0 let the bullets fly. It was a good, rapid pace, and the assassin found himself chuckling a little from how exhilarating it was. Burying shot after shot into brain and skull and eye socket.. It was so natural, so graceful, so clean.   
If you could call splatters of blood littering the ground clean.

Slowly, the bandits trickled off until it was just him and a nomad. With a shield, because of-fucking-course. Zer0 let out a small growl, putting his rifle away and drawing his pistol instead. The man was yelling something about Zer0 not being the first life he’d taken, about adding another notch to his weapon, and it was grating on the hunter’s nerves. Humans always talk too much.  
A few pistol rounds pinged off the nomad’s shield, doing little to no damage since the acid didn’t even catch on the metal. Zer0 didn’t have enough ammo to keep this up. How annoying.

His eyes spotted a ramp leaned up against the side of the buildings, always having been there but dismissed earlier for being too close to where his targets were coming from. An idea formed in his head, followed swiftly by a **:)** that blinked away almost as fast as it had come.

Lowering his pistol, the assassin surged into action. 

With half a thought, Zer0 activated Decepti0n in his place, disappearing into thin air while the bandit popped round after round in the direction of his hologram. Six, five, four.. The assassin raced up the ramp, counting the seconds as he made his way to the edge of the roof. Three, two.. He jumped.

One.

The nomad barely had time to form a shout as Zer0 materialized above him, sword drawn and cutting a perfect arc through the air. The blade cut just as easily through flesh and bone, a gorey, glorious line from the bandit’s shoulder to his hip. Blood sprayed and covered the suit, mimicking the **Ø** emblazoned on the assassin’s helmet. That felt good, really good.

Zer0 let himself enjoy the rush in his veins, a paragon of violence and destruction. This is what he was made for, this was the need buried deep within his blood. This was what his soul called for.

**“I am eternal. / Death will never capture me. / My skills exceed his.”**  
Some days, Zer0 wondered if maybe he himself was death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The top of the dam is my favorite part so far.  
> Chewed my way through the enemies with mostly a sniper and my pistol.  
> Then almost died at the end to the warden bot-


End file.
